We learned how to make this soup from Hooyo¹ Fadumo Abdulle (Abdullahi’s mother). Hooyo Fadumo is an amazing cook but her story with cooking did not have the greatest start. Actually, it began with an embarrassing experience. Even though born and raised in Mogadishu, she comes from a family of pastoralists (reer miyi). At 19 years of age and a newlywed, she knew nothing about the culture of her Bravanese husband.

The job of preparing Bravanese foods was entrusted to a cook and things went smoothly until the day when the cook suddenly announced that she was leaving. Even though Hooyo Fadumo had never shown any interest in learning how to cook Bravanese food, she just shrugged it off. She told her husband (Abdullahi’s father) that there was nothing to worry about and that she can handle everything herself. She had seen the food preparation from a distance, but nevertheless, she felt very confident. Somalis have a phrase for this: waan daadshay (I am a master at it). It has resulted in many a disaster!

The next morning, she asked a relative to buy her “the fish with the small eyes and the little tail.” She remembered that the cooked fish was scored and she scored hers. She put a little oil in a cold pan and without waiting for it to heat up, she placed the fish in the pan. She kept flipping the fish but after 15 minutes, it was still soft. Unperturbed, she put the fish on a plate and with the biggest smile she could manage, placed it on the table in front of her husband.

He poked it with his fork and realized that the stomach was not removed from the fish and he mentioned it to her. She replied, “Does a fish have a stomach?” She felt utterly embarrassed and that night, while in bed, she thought to herself, “Never again!”

That marked the beginning of a journey with food and it culminated in her becoming a stellar cook.

1. Cut the vegetables into large chunks. 2. Place the vegetables, except the spinach and zucchini, in a 6-litre pot set on medium heat. 3. Add 2 litres of water. 4. Add the Vegeta or the bouillon cubes. 5. Cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium heat. 6. Add the spinach and zucchini, then cover and cook for 5 minutes. 7. Let the vegetables cool down before blending. 8. For best results, use a countertop blender. Blend in batches and make sure that the soup is not hot. 9. If you wish, add milk or heavy cream and grated parmesan cheese. Heat and serve.

You are most welcome. We are trying to cover the traditional recipes and some of them have many steps. However, we hope to post many easy and tasty recipes that are suitable for students. Thank you for the comment.

Thank you for posting this amazing and healthy dish. I personally was looking for how to make soups these days. I even borrowed some soup recipe books from my local library. In our culture (Somalians) we don’t have many vegetables or soup dishes. Thank you again and I hope you would post some more soup dishes in the future Isha-Allah. Jizzkallah Khayra Jizaa.

Assalamu alaikum, I just discovered your page today and I am in love. May Allah reward you both for taking the time to post these. I can’t wait to try this recipe tmrw. Thank you again and keep up the good work.

Wa’alaikum as-salam warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
Thank you so much for letting us know how much you like xawaash.com. You put a big smile on our face. God willing, we will do our very best to keep posting recipes that we hope you will like.

I love creamy soups and can’t wait to try this one. Its Somali name sounds a lot better:) I’m not a big fan of zucchini and green beans, but I know their nutritious value and this is an excellent way to sneak them into my diet:) I’ll try a simple version and one with coconut milk. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.

PS I’m learning so much about Somalia from your stories and videos, that if I ever make it there it will feel like home:)

The name ‘borooddo’ comes from the Italian word ‘brodo.’ Somalia was an Italian colony, therefore the Italian loan words.

You can use any vegetables of your choice. However, based on our experience, the essential ingredients are beans and potatoes. They make the soup taste creamier. We normally use mung beans instead of the green beans and the soup turns out delicious. We didn’t have any in our pantry when we were making the soup.

I am having this soup right now, it is simply amazing! I used coconut milk to keep it vegan and it turned out so delicious. I wouldn’t change anything to it, all the vegetables are used in the right amount to create this gorgeous flavour. It takes so little to prepare them and to cook the soup, that I’ll surely be making it again. Many thanks Hooyo Fadumo for passing on this recipe and thank you Abdullahi and Leila for sharing it.

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About (Annaga)Qui Sommes Nous نبذة عنا

We are a husband and wife team and we live in Canada. In a world full of food complications, we make cooking very simple. Our recipe videos will make your cooking easy, relaxed and enjoyable. We bring you the foods we love from Somalia and from around the world.